


The Good Side

by s_piderling



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Breakup, Broken Heart, Heavy Angst, Hurt Tony Stark, M/M, POV Steve Rogers, POV Tony Stark, Pining, Songfic, The Good Side, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, steve rogers - Freeform, troye sivan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 05:56:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16989309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/s_piderling/pseuds/s_piderling
Summary: There’s a note on the desk, creased and worn from the times he’s opened and closed it, running his fingers through where the ink is, where the pen left indents. His eyes burn with unshed tears, and he closes her fist around the rings, nails biting his skin.Or, a songfic based on The Good Side by Troye Sivan, featuring Famous Singer Steve, and Slightly Less Famous Tony Stark.





	The Good Side

**Author's Note:**

> This has been bouncing around my head for a week, and I meant for Steve to come off as neutral as possible, but oops.

_I got the good side of things / Left you with both of the rings_

Tony looks down at the rings in his hand. One, a plain silver band. The other, three sparkling jewels set in the centre of a white-gold ring inlaid with diamonds. There’s a note, on the desk, creased and worn from the times he’s opened and closed it, running his fingers through where the ink is, where the pen left indents. His eyes burn with unshed tears, and he closes his fist around the rings, nails biting his skin. _Why?_

_My fingers danced and swayed in the breeze / The change in the wind took you down to your knees_

He feels naked, without the ring. There’s a thin band of skin on his left ring finger that’s lighter than the rest of his hand. He feels the breeze of the autumn wind there, where it would usually just gently brush against the silver band. He’s seen him, Steve, without his ring. Happy, laughing. Tony wonders what it’s like to feel anything other than broken.

_I got the good side of you / Send it out into the blue_

An entire album. An _album_ of songs, about him. About what he and Steve had. The good, the bad, the breakup. He dated an international icon and all he gets is an album and his heart torn out of his chest.

_The people danced to the sound of your heart / The world sang along to it falling apart_

Tony’s listened to the album. Over and over, until he’s sniffling into his pillow and his eyes feel like sandpaper. Wonders if the world knows that _Fools_ isn’t about Steve falling for a straight man, but _Steve_ being the one too scared of what it meant to be gay, that the relationship crumbling wasn’t on Tony at all. Wonders if the world knows that _The Quiet_ is about the weeks before Tony was able to move out, to get away after he found out Steve was cheating. Wonders if they know that _for him_ was the one thing that made Tony feel like they’d be alright, and that nearly every song was about Steve waiting for the moment to leave, and Tony only found out after the fact.

_But I sympathize / And I recognize / And baby, I apologize /  That I got the good side / The good side of things_

Tony could argue that he’s fine, that it doesn’t matter. But it does. Tony loves the kids he teaches and the company and the science, but he _hates_ that Steve is out there, getting praise and sympathy and love from everyone around the _world_ , but Tony is stuck being a secret that no one has known, or will know about, even though Steve is out and proud with new boytoy Bucky Barnes.

_I got the good side of life / Travelled the universe twice / So many thoughts I wanted to share / But I didn't call because it wouldn't be fair_

 Steve looks down at his phone. Check’s Tony’s conversation. There’s nothing there. There hasn’t been in three years and two tours. Not that Steve expected there to be, the way they ended things. But it’s hard. Reaching out to Tony to talk about the architecture in Italy wouldn’t be fair, and neither would reminding him of everything that’s been lost. Steve wonders why they couldn’t have stayed friends.

_Then I got the good side of new / Found arms to fall right into / I know how it looked, it wasn't the plan / And someday I hope that you'll understand_

Steve looks over at Bucky, sleeping peacefully beside him. His hair is splayed across the pillow, his face completely relaxed in sleep. His heart feels full, yet he feels guilty. He knows how this must look - mere months after breaking up with Tony. He wonders how Tony must feel about the song Bloom,and if he knows it’s about Bucky. Wonders if Tony’s found anyone new. There’s nothing in the media about it, but Tony’s always been private. He didn’t plan to get with Bucky, but they just - they clicked, and they work, and he’s never been happier.

_That I sympathize / And I recognize / And baby, I apologize /  That I got the good side / The good side of things_

Steve knows he’s got the good side. He knows. He let Tony keep the rings, but Steve knows that Tony’s hurting a lot more than he is. And he’s sorry for hurting him, but they would have just hurt more in the long run. He wishes Tony would see that he’s sorry. Maybe then they could be friends.

_I'm sure we'll meet in the spring / And catch up on everything / I'll say I'm proud of all that you've done / You taught me the ropes, and you taught me to love_

Steve’s going to be home this spring, for Clint and Natasha’s wedding. It’s going to be nice to see Tony again, to let him know how proud he is of the clean energy work and AI work he’s been doing. He’ll let Tony know just how much he’s missed having his best friend, and how glad he is that Tony taught him everything. Without Tony, Steve would be completely lost, and everything with Bucky would have burnt to the ground.

_But I sympathize / And I recognize / And baby, I apologize / That I got the good side / The good side of things / Sympathize / Recognize / Apologize / That I got the good side / The good side of things._

Steve knows that he’s got it good, better than Tony. And he’s sorry, he really is, but he wouldn’t give it up for anything.


End file.
